'Curfew for Melbourne Airport looms'

[Melburnian1]

This is not the first time that this subject has been raised, and it may not be the last:

Melbourne Airport night curfew inevitable as housing keeps coming

In a typical quarter there are 60 to 70 noise complaints: only two a day, but they are still made despite many aircraft now being quieter than say a decade ago.

The proposed third runway is one future relevant factor; housing developments slowly encroaching are another.

A curfew at MEL would make the case for high speed rail slightly stronger, as curfews in both MEL and SYD would make operations even more difficult when night flights were late.

 

[Mattg]

This would put a real dampener on MEL operations. There are quite a few flights that leave or arrive in MEL during the night that would be affected. I hope this doesn't happen.

FWIW I live under the flight path for SYD but don't support the curfew there either.

 

[Hvr]

And here is the problem:

Susan Jennison moved to Keilor in 1971 - the year after Tullamarine Airport opened.

Read more: Melbourne Airport night curfew inevitable as housing keeps coming
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You're stupid and should compensate the airport for the cost of your whinging and whining.

Anybody who moved in after the airport was built has no cause for complaint and should suck it up, quietly. As noted in the article there are approximately 43 flights a night between 2300 and 0600 and I suspect a majority of them are freighters which would be affected by selfish people.

 

[Isochronous]

So these whiners buy cheap housing because it's under a flight path to save money, then want to complain and pressure the government into imposing a curfew for a free increase in their housing asset value.

Piss off selfish carpetbaggers.

 

[PLANT]

Greeks? "The castle".... Tell em there dreaming?
Slow news day? Bishop puts a stop to whinging peasants?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Well... now that this topic is on the table... I dunno when this first started, but there seems to be a 'new' flight path coming in to melbourne... planes fly right past MEL and out into the bay, before turning and returning to the airport. This brings planes right over the centre of the city and its inner suburbs. Certainly I wasn't aware of this 5 years ago.

I don't know why planes have to do that circuitous route... there's plenty of open land elsewhere and it seems the routing is unnecessary... but perhaps someone has some information as to exactly why it was chosen?

Some planes are flying pretty low and slow at midnight and 1am along that path.

I'm not for a curfew at MEL, but I think flight paths should be moved after 10pm o avoid built up areas.

 

[Melburnian1]

MEL_Traveller, while it does not happen every night and as always depends on the winds, there seem to be more arrivals from the south that come in via suburbs such as South Yarra than was the case a decade or more ago. Residents of such suburbs are not complaining about Melbourne Airport's noise in big numbers but it is interesting that Airservices Australia notes that some noise complaints come from residents of postcodes more than 40 kilometres from Melbourne Airport.

Flight paths are jealously guarded with height restrictions applicable in some areas close to the Melbourne CBD.

Yes, Isochronous, there's an element of individuals wanting to have their cake and eat it too by purchasing cheaper housing and subsequently then complaining. It's the same as residents who buy near a railway line or freeway, paying less, and then campaign to reduce the noise of trains or trucks. This might be fair enough if noise levels significantly increase, but if noise emissions are similar, surely such residents are trying to 'double dip?'

As one might expect, Melbourne Airport's owners are on record as stating that its ability to have international passenger flights in particular depart for (mostly) Asia between (say) 2300 and 0130 (the busiest period in the small hours) is a major competitive advantage over Sydney. It must be annoying in SYD, for instance, to have to depart at say 2200 for a destination such as SIN and then arrive at the latter 'too early' at 0400 or 0500, rather than departing MEL at say 0100 and arriving SIN around 0700, a better time to connect onwards.

 

[clazman]

If you moved into the area after 1970 tough luck.... the airport was here first.

 

[cmon0005]

It will be economic sabotage to put curfew restrictions implace IMHO

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I dont believe it will happen. Its a huge drawcard over Sydney for the airlines. It would be a hige step backwards

 

[MEL_Traveller]

MEL_Traveller, while it does not happen every night and as always depends on the winds, there seem to be more arrivals from the south that come in via suburbs such as South Yarra than was the case a decade or more ago. Residents of such suburbs are not complaining about Melbourne Airport's noise in big numbers but it is interesting that Airservices Australia notes that some noise complaints come from residents of postcodes more than 40 kilometres from Melbourne Airport.

That's interesting... but I wonder *why* they're now coming in over South Yarra? There's bucket loads of land all around MEL, much of which could possibly handle arrivals without the need to go over some of the most densely populated areas of the city. If they didn't fly over the city 10 years ago, why now?

if airlines, ATC and governments aren't careful, the public might just start to demand curfews... and that probably doesn't benefit anyone.

 

[Melburnian1]

Yes, this is a risk, and the more so if media articles like this draw attention to it.

'The Age' and 'Sydney Morning Herald' websites on a coughulative basis are better read (though not by much) than the 'Herald Sun' and 'Daily telegraph' websites together, so many thousands of Melburnians will have read this at brekky or (if on public transport) on their way to work.

 

[Himeno]

If you moved into the area after 1970 tough luck.... the airport was here first.

Agreed.
There are also some idiots trying to force a curfew on CBR.

 

[badseed]

I live in Flemington and cop a bit of noise from both Tulla and Essendon. Absolutely love it. I get worse noise and the odd crack in our house from the V-Line trains passing by.

Whilst the new residents are certainly at fault, it's also the fault of both local and State governments for opening up the land for development in the first place. To them it's all increased rates and stamp duty revenue.

 

[Melburnian1]

Himeno's suggestion about 'some idiots trying to force a curfew on CBR' begs the question: what other Australian domestic airports that are presently curfew free are at some considered risk from public (or media-led) pressure for imposition of a curfew? BNE?

mannej may be kind enough to fill us in on the situation in the West (not just PER.) Information about communities around the large number of airports in Queensland would also be interesting, as well as secondary airports in NSW such as Ballina (BNK) that are experiencing greater passenger numbers.

 

[JohnK]

Love this debate.

Travellers and airlines aren't selfish in the slightest. It's the residents that want a little peace and quiet that are selfish. Yeah right.

And it's not always about buying cheap houses and expecting the airport to move. We were not under the flight path in 1974. The air traffic was not as bad as what it is today.

People should stop whining about curfews in place and let people have their whine about airport noise. You are just as bad.

 

[Melburnian1]

What part of (Brisbane?) do you reside in JohnK?

 

[coriander]

That's interesting... but I wonder *why* they're now coming in over South Yarra?

As a Port Melbourne resident for past 15+years, I've noticed arriving aircraft coming "down the Yarra" and turning over Footscray/Sunshine to head for MEL more frequently in summer - I'd always assumed it was because of a prevailing north wind at that time of year. My place of work is and has been in the western suburbs for 40+ years and under the southerly approach to MEL. Planes are *much* quieter nowadays, rarely hear them overhead, never if I'm indoors with windows closed, compared to, say, 25 years ago.

 

[mannej]

And it's not always about buying cheap houses and expecting the airport to move. We were not under the flight path in 1974. The air traffic was not as bad as what it is today.

John, whilst there are no arguments that aircraft movement has increased over the last 40 years or so, could it not be said that the level of noise an aircraft emits has also decreased in this time?

There are always swings and roundabouts to each argument.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Not In My Back Runway.